You must make an appointment to get services from the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) Permit and License Center. At your appointment, you can get help with:
- Permit applications.
- License applications and renewals.
- Appeals to Board of Licenses and Inspections Review (BLIR), Board of Building Standards (BBS), or Plumbing Advisory Board (PAB).
- The Permit and License Center doesn’t handle appeals to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA).
Both virtual and in-person appointments may be available, depending on the service type. You’re limited to three filings per appointment.
Making an appointment
You can schedule appointments within the next 14 days.
To schedule an appointment, you must provide:
- Your first and last name.
- A valid email address.
- The number and type of applications you are submitting or picking up.
For permit and license applications
Both virtual and in-person appointments are available for permit and license applications and renewals.
- To make an appointment by phone, call 311. If you’re outside of Philadelphia, call (215) 686-8686.
- To make an appointment online, use the Qless platform.
To file both permits and licenses, you must make separate appointments. You can schedule one permit appointment and one license appointment per day.
During one appointment, you can either:
- File three permits and pick up any permits filed on paper.
- File three licenses.
For filing appeals
Only in-person appointments are available for filing an appeal with BLIR, BBS, or PAB.
- To make an appointment by phone, call 311. If you’re outside of Philadelphia, call (215) 686-8686.
- To make an appointment online, use the Qless platform.
Attending your appointment
Online appointments
Online appointments are conducted over Zoom.
You’ll receive an email with a Zoom link and instructions the night before or the morning of your appointment. You’ll be prompted to provide appointment information to access the meeting.
In-person appointments
In-person appointments take place at the Municipal Services Building (MSB), from Monday through Friday.
Municipal Services Building
1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
MSB, Public Service Concourse
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Do not arrive more than fifteen minutes before your scheduled time.
Bring photo identification, confirmation of appointment, and a copy of the permit invoice if you are picking up a permit and have not yet paid for it. The contractor’s license, insurance, and tax account must all be up to date.